Zimbabwe’s Telecel, which has become known for reducing the cost of mobile communication services, is slashing the cost of its data bundles, making them the cheapest on the market among telecommunications operators and competitive with internet service provider rates.

Telecel Managing Director John Swain (image: TechZim)

With effect from 14 May, Telecel subscribers will be able to purchase data bundles of 55Mb upwards at 50% discount in a promotion aimed at moderate and high-level data users.

The cost per megabyte will drop to less than 5 cents per megabyte for those purchasing the 55Mb bundle, and 2,5 cents for those buying the largest bundle, which is 3GB.

Telecel has invested a great deal in establishing 3G and 2G sites around the country, and is continuing to expand its network. It expects to double the number of 3G and 2G sites it has in the course of this year.

“We have become well known for providing our subscribers with value for money. We took the lead in slashing the price of SIM cards and mobile phone handsets in 2010 and followed this with a reduction in the cost of international calls to major international destinations,” said a spokesperson for Telecel.

As part of the same promotion, the amount of free data that purchasers of a Telecel dongle receive has been trebled from 55 to 165 megabytes. The dongle, which costs $45, can be plugged into a desk top or laptop computer, enabling the user to access the internet from the computer through the Telecel network.

“Now that our data network has become well established we have decided to slash the cost of data bundles in a promotion that is set to benefit subscribers who regularly access the internet from their mobile phone or through a Telecel dongle plugged into their laptop or desktop computer.

Giving best value for money is one of the brand values we announced when we rebranded in February. This promotion gives data users, we believe, unbeatable value for money.”